


Like Us

by joyster



Series: The Beauty in Imperfection [11]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, Secret Relationship, Zutara, Zutara Month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-31 00:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10888149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyster/pseuds/joyster
Summary: Looking around an International Peace Summit at the Western Air Temple, Zuko and Katara realise that they weren't the only ones to fall for someone against the odds.





	Like Us

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Zutara Month 2015 Day 11: Parallel  
> This one alludes to events which will feature in Day 15: Caught, it's direct sequel 
> 
> Disclaimer I own nothing

It was spectacular to Katara how much can change in less than five years.

Five years ago she was living in the Southern Water Tribe and had never seen a live flower or grass. She was completely untrained in bending and her future was looking rather bleak.

A few months after that she'd meet Aang and Zuko and her life changed forever.

She's now living in the Fire Nation, a place she'd once only associated with evil, had seen the world and was a master bender with a future that was promising to be vibrant.

It was coming up to the fourth anniversary of the war's end. A peace summit was being held in the recently refurbished Western Air Temple with war heroes and world leaders travelling to the spot where the Avatar's fire bending training began.

Stepping off Appa and looking at the temple again made her want to cry. All her memories from the war came flooding back. Feeling Zuko's hand resting on the small of her back and guiding her forward reminded her of when she'd threatened him last time they were here.

Oh, how things had changed.

They'd been seeing each other in secret for a year and a half now.

She'd almost seen his end at the hand of his sister and she knew she'd do whatever she could to protect him.

When an assassin for once landed a blow on him she's scolded him as she healed the cut.

She looked up at him and he snuck her a private smile before putting on his impassive Fire Lord masque and collecting his bags from the bison's back. He passed hers to her as well and the couple reluctantly separated.

They'd see very little of each other privately throughout the summit. Aang had insisted that people split up by gender and slept on pallets to really get an authentic air nomad experience.

After a few days the world leaders would come to regret their choice to come to the Air Temple.

\- - - 

Katara stood near the fountain directing, but mostly watching, as decorations were going up for later festivities. It was the anniversary of the comet today she'd gotten up early to help the preparations. Toph called her bossy but Katara ignored it. Multi coloured bunting was strung around the inverted temple and all its pillars.

"If you want, I could pretend debris is falling from the ceiling and tackle you to the ground again."

Zuko, in full Fire Lord Regalia, smiled playfully at her. She rolled her eyes at him but lent against his arm and stared up at the decorations going up. If any foreigner walked out they'd assume that they were just old friends reminiscing. Their secret had stretched to the knowledge of their close friends and family and nowhere further. Toph had made one too many jokes at a dinner and even Sokka asked questions and Katara didn't like lying to her brother.

"You're up early,"

"I was going to say the same thing to you. I'm always up at this point of the day. You know… rising with the sun and all that,"

She laughed at him.

"They're also doing an official portrait of the world leaders this morning."

"Katara? You said you wanted to help with the cooking?" Ty Lee asked from behind them.

"Oh, yes…Sorry Zuko, can't have them starting without me."

She smiles but he sees the faint strain in her eyes indicating she'd rather hugged or kissed him. It was the awkwardness of their secret. Honestly he was both impressed and concerned by her; she was such a forthright, honest person but kept their secret amazingly well.

It made him wonder if she was keeping things from him too.

\- - - 

No official business was organised that day, there would be cultural displays throughout the afternoon and the music and dancing well into the night.

Zuko watched as food was brought out and people milled around. It was the first time really that he got to see everyone without them all talking to him. He still wasn't accustomed to coping with the range of open discussions that these people subject him to, although he noticed the tone and comments becoming increasingly positive with every one of the anniversary summits.

He stood near the wall, appreciating that he was for one not in stuffy formal robes; he'd gotten the chance to change after the group portrait was painted by Master Piandao. Looking around the room he noted that generally people were dressed in the colours of their native nation. The swamp people looked the most comfortable in the hot conditions in their state of undress.

What surprised him the most was the prevalence of mingling between the groups.

There were groups with green, blue and red talking calmly, sharing a joke.

When he saw Bato getting food for a rather pregnant Natsumi he couldn't help but draw a connection with them. They were older than he and Katara but they'd faced similar prejudices.

They looked so happy.

She seemed conflicted about him getting food for her, like she didn't want to be treated like she was fragile. She would whisper in a tone that suggested admonishing but had softness in her gaze that suggested gratitude. It reminded him of Katara.

Bato's nature, despite being rather different to his own, reflected a similar longing to keep her happy and comfortable. He wanted to do little things for her to make her life easier and Zuko felt a similar drive with his girlfriend.

He was offered a dumpling by one of the Air Acolytes and happily accepted. After he looked up from the plate his eyes fell on a familiar face. She was older now and dressed in finer clothing but he recognised her still.

Song.

He'd sent her and her mother ample monetary compensation for the stolen ostrich horse and had apologised profusely in a letter.

She'd written back an acceptance of the apology and a thank you. It was the last he thought he'd hear of her.

Yet there she was; the burn scar on her leg visible under her short cheongsam. She was talking to King Kuei and a few other dignitaries, standing particularly close to the Earth King while he'd rest a hand on her lower back comfortably.

"They're engaged, you know…"

He hadn't heard her approach. She smelt like a mixture of spices and wood smoke from being around cooking fires all day.

"Who?"

"Kuei and the woman beside him," she explain, "she came in to help with the canapés earlier, we had a lovely conversation. They met while he was travelling with Basco. She isn't accustomed to the finery of his lifestyle yet and being from a lower socio-economic status made the engagement awkward to get passed the council but they're happy."

"I stole an ostrich horse from her and her mother during the war,"

Katara shot him a disapproving look.

"I paid for it and apologised later," He quickly added, throwing his hands up defensively.

"good," she replied with a smirk before returning to looking at the Earth Kingdom couple. "You know they kind of remind me of us…"

"How come?"

"They got together despite disapproval. They stayed secret for a while from what she told me. She had no idea how court life worked and neither do I but she was willing to learn. He meanwhile was trying to gain control of a kingdom and learn politics all at once with a fear of getting help or listening to opinions in case they were just people trying to gain more influence."

Zuko nodded slowly, recognising the parallels. He looked at her and she smiled at him.

He'd known for a long time, perhaps since the war, but he'd ignored it. It had been easier that way. But now he couldn't help but feel overwhelming affection for her and he whispered three words they'd still never said. Perhaps they too were meant to be a secret.

"I love you."

She smiled widely and scolded herself internally for getting teary.

"I love you too."

"Really?" He asked, his eyes were wide like he couldn't believe he'd said it or that she'd said it or that any of it was really happening.

She placed a hand on his arm, consciously trying to make it seem as platonic as possible to an observer. "Really."

Zuko felt an unbelievable wave of relief and a splash of disbelief. How someone as kind, wonderful, intelligent and beautiful as Katara could love him back was unfathomable in his mind.

He smiled at her. It was crooked and unsure but she found it charming and inexplicably Zuko. She smiled back.

He gained some confidence, glancing around he noticed no one was paying them much attention.

He lent over to her, whispering in her ear, "So… do you want to find somewhere quiet and make out?"

She let out a laugh and looked at him with an amused sidelong smirk.

"Lead the way Fire Lord,"

With that they crept around the now skeletal kitchen staff and further into the temple. Once they were out of the public eye he took her hand and they'd giggle, slinking around in the dark, with the unabashed excitement of too young people in love.

**Author's Note:**

> The Kuei/Song pairing is not an original idea and was shamelessly accepted as my head-canon after reading emletish's work (if you haven't read the Stalking Series I can't recommend it enough). 
> 
> In regards to Zuko's worry that Katara is hiding things from him - I believe that she'd be really got at concealing her feelings to protect others (which she does throughout the series) but with Zuko she respects that he's strong enough and understands her to the degree that he can accept her along with her demons. Zuko just doesn't quite know that. Which brings me on to me second point. They've been dating for over a year and hadn't said "I love you". To me I think these two both have some abandonment issues and are terrified to put themselves out there in that way and would rather put others first. Much like the break up of-sorts featured in Day 5: Wedding the fact that the relationship was mostly a secret and took place sordidly in shadows it didn't quite feel real making the prospect of loving one another almost seem like a wonderful, crazy, dream.


End file.
